Diving apparatus.



, 829,274- PATENTBD AUG. 21, 1906.

P KN OFF.

DIVING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. '1, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Alzomeyd.

[NVENTOR No. 829,274. PATENTED AUG. 21, 1906. F. KNOFF.

DIVING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED no.7, 1905.

2 SHEEN-SHEET 2.

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[NI/ENTOR M W M /&ZM 9 &

Allarneyl,

FRANK KNOFF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. DIVING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1906.

Application filed December 7,1905. Serial No. 290,699.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK KNOFF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Divers Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to divers apparatus, and has for its object toprovide means for supplying a diver with air without the use of theordinary pump operated by other persons above the surface of the water.With this invention the diver carries his own supply of air in acompressed-air tank upon his back. Means are provided for supplying suchair to the helmet and for exhausting the foul air therefrom. The diveris thus not subject to the control or action of other persons.

Another important advantage resulting from the invention is that thereare no lifelines or hose extending to the surface, and consequently nodanger of fouling or entanglement of such devices.

The invention includes a pump which is contained in a box or sealedchamber connected to the helmet and is used for exhaust: ing the foulair from the helmet and discharging the same outside. The pump is drivenby means of the compressed air carried by the diver, as heretoforereferred to, a suitable motor being-employed for this purpose. After theair goes through the motor it is taken to the helmet and utilized forbreathing pur poses. The supply of air is regulated by a valve which isattached to the pipe leading from the motor to the helmet, or the pumpmay be driven by any other suitable motor, such as a spring-motor.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a divers suitprovided with the improvement. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view ofthe exhaust-pump with its casing or inclosure. Fig. 3 is a sectionalelevation on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on thelines 4 4 and 5 5, respectively, of the same figure. Fig. 6 is a detailin elevation of a spring-catch for holding the valve-operating rod ofthe pump.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 indicates the helmet of adivers suit having a fresh-air-supply pipe 11 and a foulair-ex haustpipe 12. The supply-pipe leads from a compartment 11 in the upper partof a tank 15, which compartment is supplied through pipe 11 by theexhaust-flow from an air-motor 13, which may be of any desired orsuitable type. This motor is supplied with air from the lower orcompressed-air compartment 15" of the tank 15. The exhaust-pump for foulair is contained in a casing 16 and will be more fully describedhereinafter. The air-pipe 11 has a valve 11 therein to control thesupply of fresh air to the helmet. These parts and devices are carriedby the diver, being preferably strapped upon the back of the suit, asshown in the drawings, in which position they are out of the way of thediver while he is at work. The box or chamber 16 has an inlet from theexhaust-pipe 12 and an outlet 26 into the outer air or water, saidoutlet being provided with a check-cap to prevent ingress of water. Thepump is of the oscillating type, the barrel 17 thereof being pivoted inbearings 17 so as to allow the pump to oscillate. The barrel has a cap17 b at its lower end and at its upper end has an enlargement or chamber18. The piston-rod 1W of the piston 19 is connected to the wristpin of acrank-wheel 20, which rotates in the chamber 16, and its shaft 21 isextended through the wall of said chamber to connection with the pitmanor other device for transmitting the motion from the motor 13. Thevalve-openings 25 and 26 are located in the top of the enlarged part 18,the latter being connected by a flexible pipe 26 to outlet 26 suchflexible connection permitting the oscillation referred to. At 22 isindicated a valve shifting or operating rod having at its lower end afinger 22 which projects through a slot 17 into the pump-barrel belowthe piston-head. The rod 22 is connected to a lever 23, which isprovided with a rod 24, which passes through the opening 25 toconnection with a double-valve lever 27, located within the enlargedpart 18 of the pump-barrel. Said lever is pivoted at 27 and carries tworubber packing-disks 27 and 27 which seat, respectively, against thetubes 25 and 26 as the lever is vibrated. 22 is a guide-piece for therod 22, and 19 1s a spline which works through a notch in the cap 17 bto prevent the piston-rod 19'" from turning around. The piston-rod isprovided with tappets 19 and 19, which alternately operate the valve-rod22 and open or close the valves. Near the lower end of the pump-cylinderis a catch 17, (see Fig. 6,) which consists of two clips or pair ofsprings arranged to engage the rod 22 and to retain it in either itsupper or its lower position until struck by the tappet which.

throws it to the opposite position. This prevents the valves 27 and 27from changing positions until the rod is shifted by the tappets. In usethe tank l5 is charged with compressed air and the motor is startedbefore the diver enters the water. The motor operates the pump and thepump draws the exhaust from the helmet into the chamber 16 and into thepumpbarrel, from which it is then discharged through the outlet-valve26". After being used in the motor 13 the air is then conducted by thepipe 11 into the helmet, where it is supplied to the diver for breathingpurposes.

I claim- 1. The combination with a divers suit, of a tank for compressedair carried thereon, a motor connected to the tank and driven by the airtherefrom, a connection between the motor and the suit, to deliver theair from the former to the latter, and a pump connected to and driven bythe motor and having a connecting-pipe to the suit to exhaust the airtherefrom.

2. The combination with a divers suit, of an exhaust-air pump therefor,comprising an outer casing having a pipe connection to the suit, abarrel and piston in said casing, the

barrel having an inlet-valve from within the l casing and an outlet-pipeand valve opening outside the casing, and means to operate said pump. 3.The combination with a divers suit, of an exhaust apparatus comprising acasing having a pipe connection to the suit, and a valved escape-outlet,and a pump-barrel and piston within the casing, having an inletvalvefrom Within the casing and a pipe connected to said outlet, and means tooperate the pump.

4. The combination with a divers suit, of an exhaust apparatuscomprising a casing having a pipe connection to the suit and a valvedescape-outlet, and an oscillating pump the barrel of which has aninlet-valve from the casing and a flexible pipe connection to saidoutlet, and means to operate the pump.

In testimony whereof 1 have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK KNOFF.

Vitnesses:

H. G. BATOHELOR, PAUL LEN Z.

